“I’m fighting for the public education for all of our kids in British Columbia,” said one teacher. “They are not getting what they need. There’s a lot of research out there that says class size does matter and we need to be listened to because we’re in the classrooms.”

The teachers taking part in the rally today say they did an informal poll of some of their members to get a better idea of class composition. One of the classes is described as Grade 2, with 23 students, all ESL, with no support workers. Four of the students have been identified as “needing testing”, one student has issues that causes them to try and choke other students, 12 can’t read at the grade level, one student cannot print and no in-class support.

The teachers say that is just one example they are hoping to put forward to the Liberals at this fundraiser.